Safe in the Arms of Love
by Saira3612
Summary: Tackling the 'college experience' is a difficult road for Clary Fray, especially since her high school bully, Jace Wayland is attending with her. Desperately wishing for someone to genuinely be in her corner, her wish is granted when a face she hasn't seen since sophomore year returns. Her best friend, Simon Lewis. AU. All human.
1. Prologue - Thinking Back

Safe in the Arms of Love

**Fandom: The Mortal Instruments**  
**Pairing: Simon/Clary (Climon)**  
**Rating: T-M**  
**Summary: Tackling the 'college experience' is a difficult road for Clary Fray, especially since her high school bully, Jace Wayland is attending with her. Desperately wishing for someone to genuinely be in her corner, her wish is granted when a face she hasn't seen since sophomore year returns. Her best friend, Simon Lewis. AU. All human.**

**_Prologue - Thinking Back_**

It was an odd phenomenon, I mused to myself, as I stared aimlessly out the back window of my mother's car, my entire life packed up in the trunk as I was drive to college.

College.

The next best years of your life, at least after high school. If you couldn't find yourself in high school, chances are, you would in college. If you didn't drop out first, that is. Of course, I had no intention of doing so. This was my ticket out, my way to freedom, especially after the hell I'd been put through during my years of high school. By Jace Wayland, the imperfectly 'perfect' golden boy of the school. Of course, where everyone else saw perfection, I saw toxicity.

It started in my freshman year, when I was assigned an English project with my partner and best friend, Simon Lewis. Make a poster, present in front of the class, that sort of thing, it was nothing we hadn't done before. However, this time, it was a bit of a special occasion, as the presentations were taking place around Christmas. The project deemed the best by our teacher would be given no homework over the holidays, a form of extra credit, in a sense. Naturally, everyone tried their best, and some fell flat. Jace, with his usual arrogance, thought he and his sister, Isabelle, did the best.

No one was prepared for when Simon and I were deemed the winners, least of all him. And to this day, I remember the pure, unadulterated shock on his face. The memory, though fleeting, makes me smile.

And that was where it all began. The day we returned from our holiday break, we found our lockers defaced with unflattering pictures. With no proof, other than our gut instincts, we ripped them down and vowed to ignore it. But, Jace was relentless, more towards me than Simon, simply because I was good at English and it was my work that 'defeated' him. It was one project, and he simply couldn't let it go.

It was easier, in a sense, when Simon was there, but when he ended up having to move during sophomore year, it was like my entire support system was gone. No one to vent to in a coffee shop. No one to just hang out with after school to blow away the stress of the day, no matter what we did. Granted, we still kept in touch through Facebook and Skype when we both acquired it, but it wasn't the same as seeing him. Especially since his temper rang through quite often and he swore he'd pound Jace on several occasions after a few of the more severe pranks. The idea of him going up against Jace worried me even more than what the 'golden boy' would do to me the next day. Given Jace's status on the wrestling team, he could more than likely hurt Simon worse than Simon could hurt him.

Luckily, I no longer had to worry about such things. High school was over, and Jace would no longer be a part of my life. Even Simon, who had been evasive when it had come to the topic of his college, wished me luck on getting settled in and my first day. And then demanded I Skype him to let him know I made it safely.

I smiled happily at the memory of that conversation, though it had occurred only hours before, it still left a bit of a lightness in my chest. Even after years of being physically apart from one another, Simon and I were still as close as we were the day he left. We talked constantly, be it about Jace and his bullying, or just about life in general. Though, I noticed in every discussion, he never mentioned anyone he liked, though I'd asked the question multiple times. He'd mentioned liking someone before he left, but also that it would never work out because of him leaving. In all our years of knowing one another, that's the only time I'd ever heard him speak of anyone in a romantic sense, and I'd never learned who it was.

Hopefully, college could change that for him. Just as it was changing life for me.

One could hope, right?


	2. Welcome to the University of Pittsburgh

**_Chapter 1 - Welcome to the University of Pittsburgh_**

**Author's notes: I wasn't expecting such a response to this story, honestly! Five reviews in an hour. *head spinning* Apparently, there are a lot more Climon shippers out there than I realized, haha! This chapter is my thanks to you guys, but note that this isn't normal for me, as I'm a student myself. Also the song used in this chapter is Best Day of my Life by American Authors. I own no characters or music in this story! I just own the mistakes. XD**

Pittsburgh. Steel City. And the intersection of three rivers. Different than Manhattan, but still having the same inner-city feel. It was a place of new beginnings, new things to explore and see, and, most importantly for me, a new life.

My mom, Jocelyn Fray, was both thrilled and terrified for me, simply because I'd be more than a six hour drive away from New York City. Luke, a father figure in my life and a friend of my mother's (who I secretly thought he wanted to be more than just a friend), was less worried. I wasn't the type to start a fight, no matter how much the other person deserved it. Still, I had two cans of mace shoved somewhere in my belonging, my own form of surrender to them both. And I'll admit, I had the briefest thought of squirting them in Jace's eyes when I was presented with them. Simon fell out of his computer chair laughing when I told him that.

"Clary, are you sure we're going the right way?" My mother asked me, bringing me out of my thoughts.

I looked up, seeing her red-brown hair flying in the breeze as we drove along Route 22, just on the outskirts of the city. "We still have a bit to go, Mom. We'll be going through the Squirrel Hill tunnel shortly, from there we'll get off at exit 73B to Bates Street, take a right onto Boulevard of the Allies, where we'll take another right onto Panthar Hollow Road, another right onto Schenley Drive, left onto Tech Street, and then another left onto Margaret Morrison Street." I told her honestly, knowing the directions in case any sort of GPS-related mishaps occurred. That's all my mother would need. She was a wonderful woman, very protective and ready for a fight at any circumstance, especially when all the shit with Jace was going on. It was only through my refusal for her to get involved did she stop. But, for some reason, she wasn't herself, very high strung and edgy.

Directly in front of me, I heard Luke chuckle and couldn't help a small smile of my own, turning my attention back to the window and the passing scenery. It was too early for me to begin a coffee shop hunt, being as we were still a few miles away from the school, so looking for my life force, as both Luke and Simon referred to it, would have to wait a bit. Speaking of my best friend, my thoughts wandered back to him, wondering idly once more just where he was going to college. When we spoke about the subject, he'd just tell me that he got accepted, and that he'd be leaving at the end of the month, like me. I laughed and said simply that most everyone would be leaving at the end of the month, so it didn't give me much to go on. Knowing Simon as well as I knew him, he laughed and changed the subject, simply his own way to saying without words that he'd tell me when he was ready.

The outside world was replaced by darkness and dim lighting, making me start a bit before relaxing. We were only driving through the tunnel, getting closer and closer to my destination. The anticipation was both relaxing and frightening, and to take my mind off of the thoughts of the new school, if only for a moment, I pulled my iPod from my purse and put the earbuds in, setting it to shuffle. I felt my face break into a grin when I heard American Authors start playing. Best Day of My Life. Well, if that wasn't not fitting, I don't know what is. I felt myself flush a bit when Luke turned around in his seat, signaling that I actually said that out loud.

_I had a dream so big and loud_

_I jumped so high, I touched the clouds_

Forgetting my natural shyness when it came to dancing and singing, even around people who knew me my entire life, I started dancing in the back seat, not even caring about the seatbelt or anyone in other cars that might be staring at me. This song just described how I was feeling right now. Just so upbeat and positive, and there was no way I could express it other than doing what I was doing right now.

Oblivious to time and much of anything else right now, I failed to notice much of anything, including coming out of the tunnel, the exit, or even what Luke and my mom were conversing about after Luke showed her his phone for some odd reason.

_"This is gonna be, this is gonna be, this has gotta be_

_The best day of my life_

_Everything is lookin' up, everybody up now_

_This is gonna be the best day of my life_

_My li-i-i-i-i-ife!"_

I flopped against the seat, my red hair tickling my face as it blew all over, an exuberant grin painted on my face that I wouldn't be wiping off anytime soon. I was faintly aware of Luke laughing loudly, my mother's quiet chuckling joining along with him.

"When was the last time you saw her do that?" Luke asked her, making her chuckle more and shake her head.

"Hey, I still dance from time to time!" I protested honestly, taking my earbuds out and missing the next song that was on as a result. I punctuated the protest by giving his seat a kick, due to my short height, it wasn't too uncomfortable, either.

"You haven't done that in public like that since around the time Simon moved." My mom spoke up, though she had an affectionate smile on her face. Like it was something she missed.

I mentally recounted the last time I danced just to dance. There were countless times I did it in my room, usually after a bolster from Simon on my confidence or just a good talk with him in general, but doing it in public like I just did... I honestly couldn't remember, save for when he and I danced to a Ke$ha song in the middle of a Walmart once. Ever since then, it was like I didn't really want to do much like that in public, for fear of giving Jace more ammunition against me in the halls of school.

I ended up going on a stroll down memory lane once more, only to look up in time to see my mother looking a bit sheepish about something. "Is something wrong?" I asked her, making her look in the rearview mirror at me.

"Nothing at all." She responded quickly, a bit too quickly, always a tell when she was lying about something. "Why do you ask?"

"Because you just answered me quickly, like you usually do when you're hiding something." I informed her in return, seeing the college looming through the windshield. It was even bigger than I thought, holy crap.

Her eyes flicked to Luke for a split second, and she got a bit of a frantic look in them. My mother, as protective as she was, couldn't hide a surprise to save her life. Especially when it was one that was beneficial to me. The day I got my acceptance letter, she nearly threw it in my face the moment I walked in the door.

"Guess." Luke told me simply, nearly making me groan out loud. I hated it when they did this.

"So, there IS something you're not telling me?" I wanted them to at least admit that. I was stubborn like that.

"Yes." Luke answered my question simply, though he had a beaming grin on his face. "Now guess."

_Oh, for the love of..._ "You got me a car?" I asked them immediately. A car was one of the things I wanted before I moved out here. _Maybe they'll surprise me..._

"Nope."

_Then again, maybe not._ "My own apartment?" I tried again, pointing out which side of Margaret Morrison my mom was supposed to take.

"You have to dorm this year, hon. Try again." My mom's tone of voice told me she was getting ready to explode.

_Of course I do..._ "Underwear from Victoria's Secret?" I tried innocently, getting an appalled "Clarissa!" from my mother in response. Full name. She was really upset I wasn't taking this seriously. "Well, I don't know! You guys said the two biggest things I've wanted for a while now!"

"Not the biggest..." Luke said simply, not looking behind me himself this time.

Okay, now I was seriously getting confused. "What in the heck are you guy-?" I started to ask them both, but didn't finish, thanks to a knock on my window.

I never got the chance to finish. But, then I didn't need to. The way I hopped out of the car and nearly tackled him to the ground, a feat given our height difference.

"Simon!"

Because, standing there, his arms as tight around me as mine were around him, was my best friend. The one who I asked where he was going and he wouldn't tell me. The one who would set up something like this behind my back in order to surprise me. The one who I'd throttle into next week for doing such a thing, because he knows how I am with surprises.

But, for right now, my best friend who I haven't seen in two years is standing here, hugging me so hard I think breathing's becoming an issue, but I don't care because I feel the ground vanish under my feet as I'm lifted off the ground. Holy crap, he's stronger than i remember!

"What are you DOING here?!" I yell at him happily, unable to keep the happy smile off my face, staring into his eyes behind his black glasses.

Thankfully, his happiness matches mine, a grin on his face I doubt he'd wipe off, either. "I'm going to school here!" And before I can respond with the death threat he knows is coming, I get swept up in another squeezing hug, twirled around happily on the sidewalk.

And I'm so happy right now, I don't even care about everyone watching us.


	3. Some Things Never Change

_**Chapter 2 - Some Things Never Change**_

**Author's Note: I own nothing, save for the character I'm about to introduce in this chapter.**

"Is it just me...or is everyone still in cliques?" I hear Simon whisper to me, chuckling a bit as he looks around. He and I were on our fourth run to the car to grab more of my belongings, and we were taking in as much of the campus as we could...well, as much as we could see of it that is.

I ended up looking around, taking in more of the people than the actual buildings this time...and I giggle a bit, because I realized he was right. "I thought this was supposed to be different than high school..." I retort, rolling my eyes a bit.

I watch as he shrugs, finding my mother's car easily, as if he wasn't away for two years. It makes me smile that nothing's really changed, despite the physical distance between us. "There are cliques everywhere, no matter where you are. That's one thing high school taught us both, no matter whether we were separate or together."

I winced at the memory the simple statement invoked. I was never really a part of a stereotypical clique in high school, though I knew enough about them that they were very rigid in their ways...at least the popular ones were. It was pretty much just me and Simon against the world, and then myself against the world after he moved, though it always felt like he was there in spirit, and it surprised me when I saw his head of black curls just how much I missed just being NEAR him. Able to hug him, or hold his hand, or feel one of his long arms around my shoulders. It brought me a sense of peace I hadn't felt in a very long time.

"Yeah, well, my version of a clique is either with me or against me, and one's bigger than the other." I mumbled quietly, so low that I thought Simon couldn't hear it. of course, it didn't surprise me much when I felt his arm loop over my shoulders, offering me a tight squeeze that knocked me off balance for a moment, making him laugh. I returned the favor by giving him a quick swat to the stomach, not hard enough to do any form of damage, but he overexaggerated the agony for me anyway, swearing vengeance upon me by tickling.

There were times I hated that he knew everything about me. One that I was insanely ticklish for my own good. He'd threatened me with it many times over the years, and it succeeded in just as many times, whether he actually carried through with it or not. As nice as he was, he could be merciless when he wanted to.

Grabbing the last of my things out of the car, Simon shut the trunk, easily carrying the stack of boxes he had in his arms. I couldn't help but notice, because last I remembered, he'd be afraid of dropping anything he carried. "When did you get so buff?"

Laughing, he peeked out from behind his cardboard wall, falling in step with me, carrying my backpack, my laptop bag, and a box of DVDs in my arms. "Buff? Me? No, I just don't care if I crop this, because it's nothing but clothes."

"I'll hit you again." I threatened him, though I was grinning. He would say that every time I asked him to carry a bag with clothing in it, though if he dropped it, he'd be apologizing profusely as if he'd set it on fire.

"And I'll tickle you if you do." He gave me an innocent smile, one that I knew well enough was also a silent dare. I'd learned it the hard way over the years, but I knew better than to push him now. Which is why I settled for muttering a string of obscenities under my breath, making him laugh.

"Glad to see your potty mouth's not any cleaner." He cracked, still laughing. I went for a kick at his shin, but he was too quick for me and dodged it, leaving me flailing momentarily. I was a klutz by nature, and I should've learned that hobbling on one foot wasn't going to end well for me.

Especially when I felt a shoulder ram into me and send me sprawling to the ground.

"Hey! What do you think you're doing?!" I heard Simon yell furiously. "Did you happen to notice there was someone-"

He cuts off so abruptly that I thought the person who shoved me simply walked off without a backwards glance. But when I looked up at him, he looked...fearful, swallowing thickly. And when I turned to see why, I felt ice run through every vein in my body. Because even through the sun silhouetting his figures, I could tell exactly who he was, before he even spoke.

"Well, well, look who we have here. The Dream Team, reunited."

With that single sentence, I felt every single thing I'd eaten on the road start swirling in my stomach. And I thought idly about succumbing to the nausea and throwing up on his shoes, but the victory would be fleeting. For he'd come back at me with something worse, and also have the money to simply purchase a new pair. There was a reason why he threw the most ridiculous parties...or so I'd heard.

"What the hell are _you_ doing here?!" Simon's furious voice echoed the exact thought going through my brain at this very moment.

I could see him looking around with that arrogant smirk on his face, and making a grand show of doing so, too. As if we were two small children he had to explain the concept of college to. "Well, this is school. I'm here to attend for four years, earn a degree, and find a job suited to what I'd like to do for the rest of my life." He spoke each word slowly, as if we incapable of such knowledge, and it made furious tears spring to my eyes. And if I was this agitated, I knew Simon would be, too. Especially since he'd heard about some of the more vicious pranks Jace had pulled on me in his two year absence.

Though, I never expected Simon to get in Jace's face. "Listen to me, you arrogant fuck." That word surprised me. I'd never heard Simon so much as mutter that word and here he was, saying in front of a crowd of curious college students. "You think picking on her's going to be as easy as it was the last few years?" He didn't bother to wait for an answer from Jace, not that one would be coming. "Well, you're wrong. Dead wrong. I'm back, and believe me when I say that you're not the top guy around here anymore. You're a lowly freshman, just like the rest of us, at a school where your precious reputation doesn't mean a thing." A muscle in Jace's jaw ticked, and I swear if Simon didn't shut up, he'd find himself on the sidewalk next to me.

"Hey, what's going on here?!"

I've never been so grateful to hear Luke's voice at any moment of my life than right now.

Simon backed away from Jace, immediately crouching to check on me, joined quickly by my mother and a girl I didn't recognize, who quickly introduced herself as Dahlia, my roommate. Once ascertained I was fine, all three of them stood, facing off with my 'perfect' blond tormentor.

"Are you seriously going to do this here?" Simon asked him, sounding incredulous, though he really shouldn't. Jace always did like an audience.

"Because lemme tell you something." This time, it was Dahlia who spoke up. "I don't know what outhouse you were raised in, but guys don't like it when you attack another girl for show. You're certainly not winning any special points with me, and I don't even know you." She looked him and his 'perfection' up and down, and to my downright surprise, shrugged him off as if he were ordinary. Simon snorted at the look on his face at such a move. He looked ready to pop a blood vessel.

Luke and my mother never spoke, letting the intimidation of parental figures speak volumes. And it actually worked.

"Tch." Jace scoffed, as if he couldn't be bothered with such theatrics, even though he's the one who caused them, before wandering off. Probably to find a cave so he could hang from the ceiling and sleep.

It was odd, how just his mere presence and and a few spoken words could completely derail everything. The exuberant joy I'd felt at coming here to start anew, followed quickly by the indescribable feeling of being reunited with my best friend all taking a backseat to the sheer misery I felt now. All because of Jace Wayland being in the same college as me.

Two arms wrapping around me from behind, and a head resting upon my shoulder made me snap out of it. It still was different than what I'd gone through. This time, Simon was around, with absolutely no foreseeable plans to leave anytime soon. Just that thought alone raised the dark cloud hanging over me, at least a bit.

As if reading my mind, I heard him whisper. "You're not alone anymore, Clary. I'm not going anywhere."

It's my mother's idea to go and get coffee, saying that we could all probably use it. I protest, saying my stuff needs to be unpacked, but I'm outvoted, the reasoning is that it'll all be there when we get back. The reasoning makes sense, and when I feel Simon holding me close, asking me quietly if I'm okay, I can't find it in me to protest anymore. Because it's been two years since we went to a coffee shop and sat across from each other over two steaming, sugary drinks, and I want all of our traditions to return. Starting right now.

"Feels like old times, huh?" He asks me, breath tickling my ear a bit, making me smile at him.

"Yeah. It does." I agree with him. "Oh! And you remember that movie I was telling you about last weekend? I have it, so if you want to come over this Friday, we can have a movie night and watch it."

"You think I'd be stupid enough to say no?" He asks me in return, eyes shining a bit behind his glasses, out of pure excitement. Hell, we could watch a movie entirely in Japanese and I wouldn't complain!"

I can't fight off an evil little grin if my life depended on it. "I'm going to remember you said that, especially when you tickle me, I say something to blackmail you and make you freak, and you give me free reign to pick whatever I want for movie night as a favor." And it would happen, too. I know for a fact it would, because it happened many times since we started the tradition in seventh grade.

He appeared completely calm, as if I hadn't issued the biggest threat he's ever known, aside from that one year I hid his comics on him and nearly made him hyperventilate from sheer panic. "I've changed since then."

"Yeah, and maybe Jace went gay." I crack back, making him bust out laughing. It was strange, for the last few years, if I had a confrontation like that with Jace, I'd be holed up in my room or a coffee shop, well into my second mug by now, letting the event play over and over in my mind until I got the chance to talk to Simon. With him here now, it was as if the event, though it had occurred, happened weeks ago, instead of less than an hour ago.

It was a feeling I could definitely get used to, especially with Simon around.


	4. The Life Force of Clarissa Fray

_**Chapter 3 - The Life Force of Clarissa Fray**_

**Author's Notes: I own nothing, save for Dahlia.**

"How long has it been since we did this?" Simon's voice, sounding giddy and excited, made me grin, despite the fact that we were sandwiched in between a line of college students, a gril who smelled like a French prostitute from the copious amounts of perfume she wore to a guy behind us who smelled like feet. And, despite all that, and the fact that my inner voice was screaming that I'd need a shower after being in between these two, I was just as giddy as my best friend.

"We last did it the day before you left." I answer him, not even having to really look at the cafe's menu, because my coffee order's been the same since I started drinking it at the age of fifteen. "Minus the virtual ones that don't take the place of the real one we're about to experience. Not that any of the Skype ones were horrible, it just wasn't the same."

He grinned shyly, because it was his idea to do it, and he was so excited when he came up with it, only to have it be a not what he expected in the end of it all. Though we both agreed that it'd be good for those times when absolutely nothing would do us any better than a hot cup of coffee and a Skype call with each other, it happened less often than one would think. "I dunno, I think the Phish Food incident was pretty memorable."

I blinked twice, immediately guessing the incident he was referring to, and then sent him a glare that was colder than the ice cream I dropped that day. On a very...sensitive...area. "I thought we agreed not to mention that. Ever." I rebutted in a hiss, through clenched teeth.

He simply smiled at me innocently, that wide eyed look he was giving me making me want to whack him with a notebook. And I would if I had one. "I wasn't the one who dropped a glob of Ben and Jerry's directly on her-Mmphhmphmph!"

He wasn't able to finish the sentence, thanks to me clamping a hand over his mouth, and laughing forcibly at the looks I was getting at the clap of skin on skin. "I'm so sorry. He forgot his medication, and he has no idea what he's talking about, Please ignore anything he has to say." I was painfully aware that he just started licking my hand, but I wasn't going to move it, no matter how tempting it was to hit him with my purse right now.

He remained silent, though he was glaring at me himself now, both as a glare and just that he missed how freaking stupid we got sometimes. It was odd. Around him, I felt I was free to be myself, and it was something I hadn't really done in the last two years, much less in public. It was like I was trying to make up for all the lost time at once, but I don't think I ever would make up the time I lost with Simon.

But that didn't mean I wouldn't try to.

After removing my hand from his mouth, wiping the drool on his jacket, and then giving him a whack in the stomach with my purse, Simon and I ended up ordering a few minutes after that. One french vanilla latte with extra foam and an Irish coffee. Well, it seemed some things actually did change.

"Since when do you drink those things?" I ask him curiously, as he takes a seat next to me, coffees set on the table in front of our respective seats.

"I started drinking them about a year ago." He told me in response, brow crinkling just a bit. "I never told you?"

"No, I think I'd remember something as drastic as changing your coffee order." I respond with a laugh, grabbing a sugar packet. "I mean, now I'm glad I had you pay, because I would've ordered a mocha for you, and here you went and changed your order without telling me."

"At least I didn't change my Ben & Jerry's without information." He responded back, making me turn to him with wide eyes.

"Who told you that? My mom?" I ask him quickly, and when he didn't answer, I groaned. "I didn't say Midnight Snack was my new favorite, dang it! I said it was good and a close favorite! Phish Food will always be number one! Followed closely by Karamel Sutra! Midnight Snack is probably my third!" He still said nothing, just gave me that look that said 'yeah, okay' without words. It made me whack him again. "At least I didn't change my coffee order without any notice! Your infraction's worse, Simon Lewis! Much worse!"

This time, he managed to catch my outstretched hand, and, quicker than I could manage to ready a second attempt at a smack, he buried the fingers of his free hand in my tummy, reducing me to hysterical giggles. "Here's what I think about your reasoning, spitfire."

Gah! I hated when he called me that! It made me angrier and only caused me to thrash more as he tickled me. "I'm going to hurt you!" I threatened him, much like I always did when he tickled me. I tried to turn away from him to protect myself, but his height worked to his advantage and he just reached over me, still digging his wriggling fingers into my stomach. The attack made me gasp and look at him helplessly. "Stoooop!"

"I'll stop when you admit we're even." His eyes, though playful, were firm. And he was definitely stronger than what I remembered, because I couldn't break away from him now, whereas I could two years ago. Damn it, he had me trapped, and it was either admit defeat or continue to be tickled. I hated it when he won like this.

"Fine! Fine! You're right! We're even! Stoooop!" I plead with him, gasping a bit. He ended up stopping a few seconds later, laughing a bit as I sat up and fixed my hair with a bit of a huff. I entertained the notion of whacking him again, but the threat of a second tickle attack was just too good. Especially since we already had a group of people staring at us like we were freaks. Or worse, a couple. I was waiting or the dreaded 'How long have you guys been going out?' spheal It was something Simon and I laughed at for years, because we got the question since were joined at the hip for so many years.

"I missed doing that..." I hear him say almost wistfully, hands helping me smooth our my red hair, his face appearing in front of mine to help him make me look somewhat like I did before his assault. I notice his eyes linger a bit on me before he pulls back, though I think nothing of it. After all, we've only gone two years without seeing one another except over a video camera. It makes sense our eyes would linger a bit on each other, see if anything's changed, or anything's new.

"Can I ask why you were screaming like he was murdering you?" As one, Simon and I turn toward the voice, my roommate Dahlia taking a seat across from the both of us, her own mug in front of her. She flips chestnut brown hair over her shoulder, her dark green eyes on the both of us with interest.

"He tickled me." I answer her question simply, looking over at him like I just said he was preparing a ritual to sacrifice my firstborn.

"Briefly!" He defended himself easily, eyes only on me and my continual dose of stink-eye.

"Hey, if it makes her scream like that, it might as well be murder." Dahlia informed him, taking a sip of her own steaming beverage innocently, making his eyes turn to her.

"But, I...she knows I'm only..." He managed to stutter out, trying to think of some way to defend himself, only to hang his head a bit in defeat.

"Clary Fray." I said to her happily, holding out a hand over the table. If there was someone who'd help me keep Jace away, as well as double team Simon, I'd welcome the pure fun that would bring. Even better is that she was my roommate!

"Dahlia Hissam." She replied, accepting the outstretched hand with a smile of her own, before her eyes went back to Simon.

"This one's Simon Lewis, who's all embarrassed and flustered because you double teamed him and we ganged up on him." I told her honestly, ruffling the black curls on top of his head. This time, he gave me the glare, and it was my turn to smile innocently. He hated it when I did that. "Hey, you tickled me in public. I get three hair ruffles in there today!"

"Two!" He shot back, not breaking eye contact with me.

"And a purse smack!" I haggled him. "Take it or leave it!"

He sighed, rolling his eyes a bit, picking the lesser of two evils. "Fine." He kept his face impartial as I celebrated quietly, taking a sip of my own coffee, before turning to face my roommate.

"I take it you two are a complete package deal?" She intoned dryly, an eyebrow raised at the both of us. She didn't sound annoyed, if anything she sounded amused.

"Pretty much." I replied on both of our behalves.

"Well, I'm fine with that. Just keep pretty boy away from me, and we'll be all squared away." She told us both, leaning back to cross a leg over the other at the knee, revealing a pair of flip flops and toenails painted sky blue with ice cream cones on them.

"Don't worry about that. She and I avoid him like the plague." Simon spoke up. "The only way we'll actively go near him is if we have to for class. Or if he seeks us out and there's no way we can get away from him."

Dahlia raised her other eyebrow. "Would he?"

I shrugged in response. "He's done it before." I tell her honestly, trying not to dwell on just how many times Jace has actually done it to me. There were times Simon never even knew about.

"If he knows what's good for him, he'll stay away from you now." Simon muttered, venom coating each word. "You're not alone anymore. And if he pushes too far, I don't care how much he'll hurt me for it, I'll punch him in the face."

"Only if I can get a shot between his legs in first." Dahlia spoke up, eyes on Simon, a wicked little smile on her face.

He grinned in response. "Why don't we kick him at the same time?"

As they both went off on a bit of a let's-see-how-much-harm-we-can-bring-him game, it left me alone with my thoughts, and my coffee, of course. Dahlia seemed like a nice person, and I hadn't really encountered too many people like her, ones willing to stand up to Jace alongside me. She was a little taller than me, though shorter than Simon, and dressed in a simple peach spaghetti tanktop, and a knee length sky blue skirt. Her flip flops matched her skirt, and I've already seen her toenails. I'm just glad she wasn't put off by Simon, who was a full on nerd, tall and thin, with glasses to boot. Today he was in a pair of Converse, black jeans, and a red shirt that said simply 'Never trust an atom. They make everything up.' Which is just the kind of thing he'd wear on a normal basis, because the majority of his shirts had something goofy printed on them. Mainly aimed at trying to make me feel better after rough day with Jace.

"Clarissa!"

I was snapped out of my thoughts by my full name, and my purse flew like it had a mind of it's own, connecting with Simon's chest before I even realized what was happening. I heard him groan, and his hand came rub to rub the spot where he was hit.

"What?!" I asked him, a little bit snippily. I hated my full name, even more than his nickname (Spitfire) for me, hence why I had everyone call me Clary.

Across the table Dahlia was laughing, both at my reaction, and at his semi-helpless look while he rubbed his chest. "Damn, you weren't kidding. She really DOES hate her full name!"

"I told you she'll hit you before you can blink!" Simon protested with a groan. "Did you think I was lying?"

"Not entirely, but I wanted to see if there was any hope of getting away if I accidentally let it slip." Dahlia told him honestly, still laughing. She took a drink of her coffee to help her calm herself down a bit, and I followed her lead.

"There is no hope." I warned her, speaking up since I heard Simon call me that...wondering just how much of the conversation I zoned and missed out on during my sojourn into my own mind. "One way or another, I'll have my revenge, I promise you that."

"Well, then, don't call me Dollface." Dahlia told us both frankly, looking between the two of us. "I'll kill you in your sleep if you do." She looked to Simon, as if he had an embarrassing nickname to threaten us with.

He shrugged, stirring his coffee a bit. "Simon says jokes." He tells us both simply. I knew this already, having uttered one years ago. He tickled me until I cried, and I've never said it once since. "I hate them, and I'll unleash a jar of insects into the room if you do."

The look on Dahlia's face said she wasn't sure if she should believe him or not, and he grinned. I, on the other hand, knew he was serious if he didn't find a way to get back at us first. "You'll learn him well enough to know when he's kidding or not. Trust me."

Next to me, Simon raised his glass with a smile, his own way of saying that she would, as well.


	5. Getting to Know One Another

_**Chapter 4 - Getting to Know One Another**_

**Author's Notes: I own nothing, save for Dahlia and new character I'm going to introduce. Also, after this chapter I MAY post one more before I start to post a chapter a week. Now that the story's gaining a bit of a following (which I love you all for!), I want to start posting some longer chapters, especially since more characters are going to be introduced that are going to be central to the story, and I'd like to start figuring out how I'm going to take them and their arcs. Anyway, I'll shut up now and let you guys read what you actually came here for! XD**

"Where'd you two vanish to?" I heard Simon say, as I looked over Dahlia's shoulder, seeing my mom and Luke approaching, their own coffees in hand.

"We thought you might like to get to know one another, as we've already met Dahlia." My mom answered him, looking between the three of us.

"Plus, this one here..." Luke added on, looking at my mother. "...couldn't decide what to order and had a few people go in front of us." I nodded knowingly. That sounded more like the actual answer to the question that was posed.

"And I really did want Clary to meet Dahlia, she seems like a nice young woman!" My mom protested, earning grins from everyone present, and a few chuckles from Simon.

"We're roommates, Mom. I think we'll end up getting to know one another quite well, whether you can make up your mind about coffee or not." I told her honestly, taking a sip of my coffee.

"And then some." Dahlia added, laughing herself as she followed my example.

My mom looked petulant, causing Simon to speak up, after swallowing a bit of his own drink. "Yeah, but c'mon. She's just looking out for you and hoping you guys get along. I'd do the same if I wasn't going here!" Of course he spoke up for her, he liked to do that when he felt someone was being ganged up on. Or he just wanted to be difficult and go against me.

"You'd do it regardless of being here or not." I shot back, laughing a bit. "Besides, I've never known you to drink coffee as fast as you are today unless you have a reason to. Which means you're playing for my mom's side and plan on leaving me here with her for a small bit of time to see how we get along." I watched as he opened his mouth, probably to protest. "Don't even try and come up with some excuse that you're thirsty. I know you far too well for that."

I could practically hear the gears turning in his head, and if smoke could be coming out his ears, it probably would be right now. "Well, contrary to what one short redhead here is thinking..." I glared at him mutinously, but he took no notice of it. Or just didn't care. "...I actually am thirsty. And those pastries were calling my name, too. Anyone else want one?"

His voice was coming out quickly, much like it did when he was trying to cover up something I'd just completely called him out on. I just waved him off, an affectionate smile on my face, because I knew nothing short of Jace suddenly appearing would deter him from this little mission of his. "Go. And bring me back a peanut butter cup doughnut."

"On it!" He said to me with a grin, grabbing his coffee cup and standing up just as quickly. It wasn't too difficult to lose him in the crowd, given his height and the black curls he sported on top of his head. I stared at him for a few more seconds, just happy to have my best friend back in my life, until a cough brought me back to the fact that there were other people around me.

"Sorry." I said to Dahlia, the one who coughed, judging by the small smirk she had on her face. "It's been two years since he and I last were physically close to one another. We're trying to make up for lost time."

"Long distance relationships. God, they suck." Dahlia replied simply, making my mother snort into her coffee. Next to her, Luke patted her back, hiding his face beind his own mug. "I'm glad to see the two of you made it work for so long."

I stared at her with wide eyes, a flush heating my cheeks so much that I thought they'd end up being as red as my hair. "I...uh...I think you're mistaken." I told her, laughing almost helplessly. "We're just friends. Really good friends, and that's all we've ever been." It wasn't anything new for either one of us to hear. We'd both heard we made a cute couple for years, but it was always by people we knew. People in school who saw us together or knew he and I were still close after he moved. And, of course my mom and Luke. But, it was different, to have a complete stranger pick up on the vibe so easily.

Said stranger nodded over my shoulder, to where Simon was waiting at the counter, the line considerably shorter than it was when we were in it. "Does he know that?"

"What's that supposed to mean?!" I asked her curiously. And really, I had no idea what she meant by that! Everyone knew Simon and I were just friends, nothing more!

"Him. Your best friend. Does he know that's all you think of him as?" Dahlia nodded toward Simon once again, ordering at the counter. "Because it seems pretty clear that he thinks of you as more than just a friend."

"Oh." Realization hit me like a lead balloon. Or a ton of bricks, whichever worked. "Oh god!" Unable to help myself, I started laughing, Long and hard. And it was only after I took a long swig of my coffee that I was fully able to calm myself down. "Okay, now I get what you're getting at. I know what he thinks of me. He and I have always been close. So close that we were considered brother and sister for a time, until we felt it was too weird. But, so close that we could be siblings, I get it now. And trust me, you're not the first person to say that."

She was staring at me as if I was dense, and she opened her mouth, getting ready to say something, but Simon holding a steaming fresh mug in front of me effectively stopped her from saying anything. "Thought you might need a refill, so long as I was up."

"Oh, thank you!" I said to him happily, realizing I drank a lot of it to calm myself down from Dahlia's misconception. "How much do I-?"

Simon waved off the suggestion before I could even finish. "Keep it, I'll get you back for it at some point." He grinned at me, before suddenly starting like someone shocked him. "I forgot the other things! Crap!" before I could even say much of anything else, he had already turned, heading back to the counter.

Or trying to, at the very least. Because he nearly plowed into a girl working here, clearly a server from the plates she was carrying, headed to our table.

"Simon!" I was out of my chair just as quickly, hands steadying him before he tripped over his own feet, or worse, knocked her over. I flashed an apologetic smile towards the girl headed to our table, desserts in hand. The thing was that she was shorter than me, looking to be about five feet, if that. She was dressed simply in a dark green shirt, black pants, and sneakers, being that she was at work, with dark green eyes and her strawberry blonde hair was pulled back into a tight ponytail, obvious to keep it away from any food she had to serve. "Sorry, he's not usually like this. I think he's had a bit too much sugar..."

"Hey, it takes all kinds." She replied kindly, waving off the apology quickly. "Besides, I fall over my own feet whether I'm energized or not, and I've spilled stuff on myself with less help than a guy like you." The last part was directed at Simon, a smile coating her words. "Uh, not that a guy like you is a bad thing, I just meant that you're a bit clumsy, too. At least that's how it seems, and I'm rambling..." She laughed a bit awkwardly, smiling at the two of us.

"No, no, you're not wrong in that. At least sometimes." Simon corrected her, laughing himself a bit, trying to put her at ease.

"Try most of the time." I spoke up, with a laugh of my own, making her grin a bit at the both of us. The statement earned a small nudge from Simon, but I ignored it. Mainly because he knew it was true. Especially when he had too much caffeine in him.

"Well, good, that makes me feel better about this one time." She looked at her hands, both of which were full with plates. "I'd offer a handshake, but they're kinda full..."

Simon took the hint quickly, accepting both of them, and handing one to me quickly. My mouth began to water immediately, because it was the doughnut I wanted. "Hey, how many people can say they met through a near collision in a coffee shop?" He asked her, making me crack a grin of my own.

"You'd be surprised." Both her and I answered the question at the same time, giving each other grins after doing so. Her hands free now, she held out her right to each of us, smiling softly.

"Amanda Swan."

Smiling at her in return, I shook it. "Clary Fray." I greeted her. "Nice to meet you, despite the near disaster."

She turned to Simon, her smile growing just a bit at the corners. "Simon Lewis, nice to meet you, despite nearly bowling you over." He greeted her in return, giving her an amicable grin.

"Likewise, both of you." She smiled at the both of us, her dark green eyes shining, before turning her head, seeing the customers piling up once again. "Uh, I would stay and chat, but..."

"Duty calls?" Simon finished for her.

"Yeah..." She replied, wringing her hands together a bit. "...it was nice meeting you both, and hopefully I'll see you guys in here again?"

"Don't worry, I'm a coffee addict. You'll see us both in here." I reassured her, giving her a smile in return.

"And I'll leave you a tip to compensate nearly wiping you out." Simon added, making the both of us laugh.

"How about you just tell me the next time you guys are in here?" Amanda asked us both, laughing a bit. "I'll take my break and join you both."

"Deal!" Simon and I agreed at once, holding out our free hands at once. Laughing herself, Amanda shook them both at the same time.


	6. Sunset Wilds

_**Chapter 5 - Sunset Wilds**_

**Author's Note: I apologize to all of my followers for the lack of updates/activity in general. I had a family tragedy occur in the past few weeks, and it's been a bit difficult to get any writing done. However, I'm trying to get back to my old self and try to escape into some Climon. This chapter will start the weekly updates. I own nothing, save for Dahlia and Amanda.**

"Amanda Swan, huh?" Dahlia asked both Simon and I, all of us on our way back to the dorm. My mom and Luke ended up leaving, having a six hour drive ahead of them, though they were more than likely going to stop in the middle of Pennsylvania for the night before heading the rest of the way back to Manhattan tomorrow.

"Is it bad that we were talking to her?" I asked her in return, giving her a sideways smile.

"No." She answered me quickly. "But, I'm your roommate, which means I get first dibs as far as hanging out and getting to know you. It's the rule of college."

"What does that make me, then?!" Simon spoke up, looking playfully outraged at her.

I watched her as she thought, probably coming up with an answer that would be meant to hit home over anything else. "You're the high school friend. You're going to be important now, but as time goes on, she'll forget about you and your existence entirely until you end up alone and die a virgin."

I was laughing so hard I snorted by the end of that, and Simon just nudged me in retribution. "Spitfire would never let that happen to me, would - oof!"

Now it was Dahlia's turn to laugh as I thwapped Simon in the stomach, pitching him forward a bit. "Oh god, did I hit you too hard?" I asked him, though I couldn't help but laugh myself, grinning a bit as he joined in with a few chuckles, however weak they were. "I'm sorry! It's been awhile since I beaned you in the stomach! I kinda forgot how hard I could and couldn't do it."

Giving off a cough, he grinned at me weakly. "It's fine." He told me, sounding honest about it. "Payback for making you scream your head off in the cafe, right?"

Pondering that for a moment, I gave him a nod. "We're even." I held out a hand, which he gladly shook before standing up to his full height.

Dahlia just watched this exchange with amusement and a grin that I couldn't place. "What?"

"Oh, nothing!" She answered quickly, a bit too quickly for my tastes. "Just, you know, admiring the great friends from high school, that's all. So, you guys have really known each other since you were five?"

I gave her a simple nod, while Simon answered her verbally. "Yeah, I know pretty much everything about her, just like she knows pretty much everything about me."

She gave him an arch look, as I turned to him and did the same. The expression on his face told me that we were making close to, if not the same, expression...especially when we both asked, "Pretty much?" at the exact same time. The result caused us to burst into laughter, like we were old friends.

"Well, that couldn't have been any better even if you planned it..." I heard Simon say, laughing a bit himself. I tried to calm myself down enough to the point where I could tell him that he hadn't answered our question in all seriousness, but it was proving difficult. I hadn't really had a girlfriend I could laugh like this with in...well, ever. It was new, and I was enjoying it.

"Really, though. Just pretty much?" I heard Dahlia say, having managed to calm herself down enough to ask him in a serious voice, even though I had a case of the giggles that was causing Simon to not take his eyes off me. "If you know her so well, tell me five things about her that I'll come to know just by living with her."

"Well, I could tell you more than five..." He tried to hedge, only to bend like a reed to avoid the playful swat I sent his way.

"Continue." Dahlia told him, watching the both of us with barely-disguised interest.

"She's not a morning person." Simon started off his list, with a grin, because he was watching me and my every move...which was setting alarm bells off in my head. It could only mean that he was going to play the embarrassment game and try to make every thing he listed more embarrassing than the last

"None of us are." Dahlia informed him dryly, folding her arms across her chest.

"She likes to raid a fridge or make midnight trips to get food, because she eats like a sumo wrestler despite her size." His grin was still in place, and if I had something to throw at him, I would.

Even Dahlia had a grin on now. "I'd actually like to see that. Note to self, invest in a mini fridge. Bonus question: what are her go-to midnight snacks?"

"Chips. Onion rings, both bagged and battered. She can eat her way through a sub from Subway easily." Simon supplied for her. "Oh, and leftover Chinese food."

My roommate and my best friend were ganging up on me! What the hell?! "I have dinner tonight, then!"

"I'm going to murder you both in your sleep!" I proclaimed at them both.

They were unfazed by this entirely. "She likes her hot chocolate with two shots of french vanilla creamer and three marshmallows in it."

"Apparently, she also like to keep the dentist in business..." Dahlia muttered under her breath, giving Simon her full attention, whose grin had changed into a smile.

"If you like horror movies, make sure you've got a pillow around that's big enough for her to hide behind, because there are times she likes to think she's tough and watch them, when, really, she hides behind me or a pillow for nearly the entire movie." Simon's smile was still in place, his eyes never leaving mine...mainly because of my gobsmacked expression. Dimly, I heard Dahlia snickering next to me.

"And make sure you have her stay away from tight spaces. You'll be surprised what she can fit into."

Simon's expression immediately clouded over as he took in the speaker of the accented voice from behind me. And whatever emotions I was feeling from Simon answering Dahlia's inquiry (the want to smack him, the want to hug him for knowing me so well and just being here) was squashed by the asshole I know was standing behind me.

"What the HELL do you want?" Dahlia's voice was a snap, and if looks could kill, then I have a feeling Jace and his designer jeans would be laid out on the sidewalk. And I hadn't even braved a look at him yet.

"Just contributing. Since you were asking about the Cowgirl, I thought I'd contribute." I winced at the memories that name invoked, an involuntary shudder working it's way up my spine. It'd been a name, more than a name, really; that I'd had bestowed upon me by Jace from my sophomore year of high school. Simon knew the extent of it, but not the whole story.

But, he knew enough for the livid expression to make it's way onto his face. "Don't you call her that around me."

"Or, you'll what? Zap me to death with your nerd powers?" Jace's voice was full of contempt, as if Simon couldn't really take him down if he wanted. Which, really, I didn't think he could. I finally turned around, and faced him, though it took all the effort I had.

"He might." Dahlia spoke up, stepping next to me and placing hand on my shoulder. "But, I'm not above landing a shot between your legs. trust me, with the way you've been treating her, I might relish it."

"You can count me in on that, too." The voice surprised all of us, as Amanda made her way over, still in her work uniform, a messenger bag slung over one shoulder. "And I don't even know who the hell you are, but I can tell that I'd stand with these guys over you any day."

"Oh look, Fray has a friend that's about her height. Glad to see she's hanging around people her own size." Jace was unfazed by Amanda's word, or even Dahlia's threat.

"And since I'm shorter, so's my fuse for dealing with pretty boy assholes like you." Amanda retorted just as quickly, not stepping down from Jace at all. "Given that I had a very bad day at work, and now I see you accosting a group of new friends I've made, my patience is very low. I suggest you leave before I take this..." She gestured to the bag hanging off her right side. "...very heavy messenger bag and see how good it works as a weapon."

His blue eyes looked all of us up and down. "Glad to see you've made friends, Fray. It makes for a fun time, rather than just having you take everything. Keeps it interesting, you know?" With a smirk, he turned his back, walking away at an unhurried pace. Despite any and all threats, no one made a move to follow him, though the collective expression on our faces was that we got a whiff of something unpleasant.

"Who does he think he is?" Aside from a pretty boy asswipe, I mean." Amanda snarked, before turning to me, a smile on her face as she looked us all over, starting with Simon. "You alright?"

"We're fine." Dahlia answered for us, left arm arm around my waist since Simon's right one found a home across my shoulders.

"And he thinks he's still in high school, the king of the place, and this one..." Simon's arm gave me a squeeze, making me smile. "...is his whipping girl."

"I can't wait for him to get a reality check..." Amanda muttered, shaking her head as she scrubbing a hand across her face.

"I can't wait until I get to kick him in the nuts." Dahlia retorted, her tone of voice sounding dead serious, like she was waiting for Jace to push her so far that she actually couldn't hold herself back from kicking him between his legs.

"Enough talk about him." Simon said to them both, effectively ending the conversation. He gave Amanda a jovial grin. "We were actually gonna head out to dinner...or at least made plans to. Wanna join us if we do?"

The shortest of our group gave him a smile, her green eyes lighting up a bit. "Sure. I'd love to."


	7. Wing Dings

_**Chapter 6 - Wing Dings**_

**Author's Notes: I own nothing, save for Dahlia, Amanda, and the new character I'm about to introduce. And I know I said I'd update once a week, but since I'm going away this weekend, you guys get a chapter today! YAY! XD**

In a sense, I'm not really too surprised Dahlia and Amanda led us to a bar. After all, it's college, and if you're not heading out to a bar at least once a week, something's not right...at least according to my roommate. Granted, Simon and I couldn't get any alcohol...not that either of us would our first night here (or ever, in Simon's case), but we weren't here for that tonight anyway. Tonight was wing night, and Dahlia said that as a way to celebrate new friendships, a sampling of the Steel City's best wings was in order.

Which, naturally, Simon had to refute with logic.

"I'm just saying, do you know how many bars that serve wings are actually in this city?" He was saying as we claimed a table for ourselves, plunking down in the seats and grabbing menus. When none of us answered, just studiously ignored him, he continued on. "Hundreds. If not thousands. So, for us to actually find the best wing place, we'd end up having to go out every night for most of, if not all of, our college experience."

"And that's Simon Lewis' useless fact of the day!" I cracked, making Dahlia bust out laughing, and Simon give me a mock wounded look. He opened his mouth to keep going, but I stopped him with a hand on his shoulder. "Simon, I think she just means that out of all the places she's tried, these are the best, and they're close, which in her book, completely works."

"Exactly." Dahlia said happily, a smile on her face as she pointed at me with her menu. "Thank you, that's exactly what I meant."

"I don't think it was useless." Amanda spoke up, looking between the three of us with a smile, her menu flat on the table in front of her. Her gaze went to Simon, smile still in place."If you'd ever want to go out looking for a few more places, I'd be happy to join you."

His eyes went wide behind his glasses, and he laughed a bit awkwardly. "Oh, no, that's alright. I was just saying to them that the statistics of all the bars that serve wings in the city, to us actually finding the best wings in the city would be kind of-"

I stepped in quickly, saving him from more embarrassment. "He just geeked out and went on a fact binge. You'll get used to it." I told Amanda, who simply nodded, her smile faded a bit. "But, if you'd like to go out food hunting with him, look for an Asian place. Thai, Chinese, Japanese, or Korean. He can't get enough of that stuff."

The strawberry blonde's smile was back, looking at the tallest member of our group. "Really...?"

This time, he laughed freely, nodding his head honestly. "Yeah, that's nothing but the truth" He pointed to me, wrapping an arm around my shoulders. "Just ask her, almost every week, I ended up bringing in leftover Asian food to school for lunch."

Amanda rested her head in a hand, still smiling at the form my best friend. "Well, I'll have to show you a few places, then. I'm pretty good at restaurant hunting, I'll have you know."

"Hey, don't count us out of that!" Dahlia spoke up quickly, glaring slightly at the shortest member of our group, though her voice held no trace of any such look. And why would she be glaring at her, anyway? "What if we want to go with you guys?"

"Oh, uh...yeah." Amanda sounded slightly dumbfounded...like she even forgot we were there. Not that I blame her, Simon was an easy guy to get lost in, just because he was the complete opposite of Jace. He actually had the personality of gold to go with his good looks...which I've told him for at least three years when the subject of dating would come up. "You guys can come, too, of course."

Dahlia's mouth open to probably snark out a reply, but it was interrupted by a waitress coming over to take our drink orders, which went quickly, as Dahlia ordered a Diet Coke, Amanda ordered a Dr. Pepper, and Simon and I both took Cokes. Amanda reported she was ready to order, but the rest of us needed time, which we were given as the waitress, Holly, walked off.

"What are you going to get?" Simon asked the strawberry blonde.

"Yeah, that was quick." I agreed with him, curious myself.

"Uh, I come here about twice a month, so I know my favorites." Amanda replied honestly, laughing a bit. "And I'm gonna get the parmesan garlic wings. One of my favorites."

I winced in disgust, and Simon caught the look on my face, because I heard him break out into uproarious laughter. "What's so funny?" I ask him in return, rolling my eyes as he wouldn't stop laughing. "You know I hate the smell of parmesan!"

"You hate more than the smell!" He retorted, through laughs, a grin still plastered on his face.

I glared at him petulantly, before huffing out a sigh. "Yes, fine! I hate all of it! Smell and the taste! Happy?" I retorted, as he calmed down and I tuned back to my own menu.

"I've been happy since you got out of your mother's car." I heard him whisper into my ear. "Or, wasn't that obvious enough for you?"

Immediately, a grin stretched it's way across my face, any and all annoyance at him disappearing. "I dunno...maybe you'll have to make it more obvious." I told him teasingly in return, turning to look at him once more. I blinked twice...because I swear I saw his cheeks color a bit in the dim lighting of this place, and I just kept staring at him, purely in an attempt to see if I was right.

For all of three seconds, until Holly set out drinks down. "What can I get you guys?" She asked us all with a smile, notepad in hand.

"I'll take a half dozen of the parmesan garlic." Amanda told her, having been done the first and needing no more introduction than that.

"Half of the wasabi ranch." Dahlia told her, closing her menu and placing it on top of Amanda's.

"Half of the teriyaki?" Simon made it like a question, and it just made me look over at him. Had they all ordered while I was busy staring at Simon or something?

"And you?" Holly asked me, green-blue eyes looking at me.

Quickly, I scanned the menu for the first thing that looked good. "Half dozen of the hot garlic?" Next to me, Simon grinned, hearing me make my order into a question, too. Dahlia's look was about the same, while Amanda rolled her eyes.

"Can we also have a large order of waffle fries, too?" She asked Holly, oblivious to a questioning look from me, and a glare from Dahlia.

"Comin' right up." She assured us all, collecting our menus and heading off to the kitchen.

"Where'd the heck you go to just now? Off to Mars or something?" I heard Dahlia ask me, just before she took a sip of her soda, foregoing her straw entirely.

I shrugged honestly in reply, laughing quietly as I took my straw out of it's wrapper and submerged it in my glass. "I dunno, really...it happens with me sometimes." I admitted sheepishly, taking a sip of my own drink. The liquid did a good job of keeping me grounded, mainly because it was so cold. And why did it cool me off so much? It wasn't like it was warm or crowded in here...

"She means that it happens sometimes when I'm around." Simon piped up, grinning jovially. "I like to think that she likes to think she has temporary mind reading powers and thinks she can figure me out if she stares at me long enough."

"You swore you'd never mention that again!" I protested honestly, pointing an accusing finger at him with wide eyes as Dahlia snorted into her soda in the midst of taking a sip and Amanda looked at the both of us with a gaping mouth. "And I was seven when I said that!"

Dahlia was too busy laughing to actually formulate a reply, while Amanda stirred her soda with her own straw, a contemplative look on her face. "It sounds like you guys are the type of people I could talk to for years and never truly know."

I was too busy plotting murder under the cover of nightfall, so Simon had to answer that one of us. "We are." He agreed with Amanda honestly, nodding as he picked up his own glass. "We both know so much about each other, some things we can remember right away, and others, it's almost like a trigger. Seeing or doing something will bring back the memory, like what just happened now."

"Wish I had someone like that." Amanda said wistfully, watching Simon take a drink of his own soda.

"Don't worry." I told her honestly, now managing to stop thinking about the ways I could murder my best friend quietly and dispose of his body in the same way. Mainly because I reminded myself not to get carried away with my thoughts. This was Simon, after all. Not Jace. "You will, Amanda. Besides, I got lucky from the beginning. Who knows where I'd be without this lunatic in my life?" I laughed innocently as I pointed at Simon, who didn't take playful offense to that like I thought he would.

Instead, he calmly kissed me on the cheek for the comment...rendering me completely speechless.


	8. Thank You, Captain Obvious

_**Chapter 7 - Thank You, Captain Obvious**_

**Author's Notes: I own nothing, save for Dahlia, Amanda, and Holly.**

If looks could kill, I think one of us would be on the floor...probably Holly, who was in the middle of setting down our plates, and glaring at Amanda as she grabbed a wing. And when she took a bite of that same chicken wing at the same time Simon kissed me on the cheek, it looked like she was about to be sick. And that was before she started hacking up a lung. "What's wrong? Too much parmesan?" I asked her in concern, watching as she quickly took a drink of her soda.

"Oh, I'm sure I can think of what it was..." Dahlia supplied innocently enough, looking across the table at the strawberry blonde, who was quickly shaking her head while knocking her chest, declining Holly's offers of help.

"Sorry. Wrong pipe." She apologized to all of us between coughs as she continued knocking her chest. Dahlia had her soda in front of her face, in the process of taking a sip, so I couldn't really see her expression. Holly threw furtive glances over her shoulder as she went back to the kitchen, for the only thing missing, our fries. Next to me, Simon looked as concerned for Amanda's well-being as I did.

"Are you sure?" He asked her, eyes full of obvious worry at her health behind his glasses. "Do you want a glass of water or something?"

Once again, she shook her head, this time making Dahlia's head whip to look at her as she did so. "No, but thank you for the offer." She said with a smile now. "Really, I'm fine you guys. No food caught in my throat or Simon needing to perform the Heimlich on me." She glared at my roommate when Dahlia muttered something into her soda, obviously not caring if Amanda heard her or not.

"I would if you'd like me to, for good measure!" He offered her jokingly, grinning at her from across the table.

She picked up a drumstick, toying with it for a moment before biting into it. Once she swallowed, and her breath reeked of the stinky cheese, she spoke. "It sounds like you want me to choke. Are you trying to tell me you want to be my hero, Simon?"

He laughed in response to that, making me grin at him, mainly because I knew that was his tll when he got caught off gaurd with someone. "Uh...no. I'd never wish that on someone. The choking, that is. And I've never really been anyone's hero."

I had to disagree with that one. "I've thought of you as mine since before you left." He turned to me and grinned bashfully, the most of us missing a sour look from Amanda. "I'm serious! Everything that happened with Jace, I have no idea how I would've gotten through it all if you hadn't been there for me."

"Well, I wasn't really THERE for-" He started to say, but I slapped a hand over his mouth, effectively shutting him up.

"Yes, you were." I tell him forcefully. "Whether you were there physically. Or seeing your face over a Skype call. It didn't matter if you were over a thousand miles away. You were there for me in every sense of the word. And like I said, I don't care if it was from a distance or not."

His bashfulness slowly dissolved as that sank in, and he smiled at me softly. "I'm not leaving you agan. I promise." Once again, he leaned down and pressed a kiss to my kiss, this time to my forehead. The simple gesture made me smile...until I heard a clatter, then a gasp, and saw Amanda staring at the floor...or what I thought was the floor.

"Damnit! I'm all over the fucking place tonight!"

"What happened?" I asked her and Dahlia curiously, who's mouth was agape in something akin to utter disbelief.

"She dropped her drink." My roommate supplied icily, catching the eye of Holly, who was on her way over with our fries.

"What happened?" Our waitress echoed my question of a few seconds earlier, unwawre of what happened as she set down the fries in the middle of the table, avoiding the spilled beverage as she did.

"I dropped my drink..." Amanda admitted sheepishly, looking up at her in the same manner. "...I'm sorry, I guess I'm just having an off day."

Luckily, she waved off the suggestion. "I got it." She told us honestly. "And I'll grab you another drink while I'm at it." Just as quickly as she came, she wandered off, grabbing Amanda's empty glass from the floor as she did.

"You sure you're alright?" Simon asked her, smiling at her softly as he stole a fry.

She smiled at him in return. "I dunno. Maybe you'll have to call the men in white coats on me."

"Oh, good. When can they come pick you up?" Dahlia asked her, not turning to look at her as she ate.

"After they grab you first." Amanda retorted with a grin. Dahlia didn't look up, making Simon and I gape at the two of them a bit.

"Um..." I said intelligently, simply because I wasn't sure of what else to say.

"Where'd that come from?" Simon picked up my obvous confusion easily, as well as the unspoken question.

"She dropped her soda all over my shoes." Dahlia supplied frankly, looking up at the two of us.

I nodded quietly. That explained it...her tone of voice from earlier, the snarky comment. And, come to think of it, I hadn't heard Amanda apologize for the accident, either. Granted it wasn't as if she did it purposely, but still, an apology should've been issued without one of us actually speaking the command or prompting her. I could see why Dahlia was being frosty, at least to her.

"Well, it's not like I did it on purpose!" Amanda protested honestly, her eyes wide.

"No one ever said you did." Dahlia replied simply.

"But, you should still apologize for it, anyway. Even if it was an accident." Simon piped up.

Amanda appeared contrite after Simon actually told her to say something, and the way Dahlia was glaring at Amanda made it seem like she wasn't really all that keen on accepting. "Sorry. Really. I'm kinda dense when it comes to people and apologizing for stuff. Simon's right. I didn't mean to do it, but I still should've apologized for it."

Dahlia simply smiled flatly. "Funny how you realize it after Simon's the one who suggested it." None of us really knew what to really say after that, so she just waved a hand. "Apology accepted. Just, next time, be quicker on the draw to realize it yourself instead of having someone else point it out for you."

Amanda smiled at her softly. "Definitely. I'm sorry. Again."

Once again, my roommate waved a dismissive hand. "Again, no worries. Just know this, though. I'm keepoing an eye on you." She said it playfully, but I took note that the way her eyes were dead serious made me think that she meant every word of it. And that it was meant to be taken as a threat.


	9. Is It the Beat or Sparks?

_**Chapter 8 - Is It the Beat or Sparks?**_

**Author's Notes: I apologize for being late, my lovely readers. I had some personal things come up, as well as a friend needing my help. Both events combining left me without much of an avenue to write, but I'm back for this installment! I own nothing, but the storyline, typoes, Dahlia, and Amanda. The songs featured in this chapter are Counting Stars by OneRepublic and Promises (Radio Edit) by Andain.**

After we were finished eating, both Dahlia and Amanda said it was imperative to then wash our food down insane amounts of sugary drinks while dancing off the calories we all just ingested by dancing our asses off. I was totally game for it, despite the fact that my dancing might be a little rusty, since the last time I'd gone out to a club was before Simon left back in tenth grade. And Simon himself was never one for the scene at all, but he was game enough to do it if I was.

One of the reasons I loved him dearly.

So, that's exactly what we all were doing, since this place seemed to be not just a bar, but also turned into a bit of a club after a certain hour, something I wasn't aware could happen, really. Currently, we were all dancing our asses off to some song none of us really heard of, namely because it was rap and none of us really listened to it, a conversation we'd gleaned over dinner, after the whole shoe incident. Amanda liked hip-hop ( a surprising fact for me) and anything she could really dance to, Dahlia liked anything she could dance to herself, and a lot of her song choices were more recent ones, Simon, the lovable dork he is, liked video game music, which prompted uncontrollable laughter from all of us, as well as ribbing that he actually pick something recent he liked, which ended up being Counting Stars by OneRepublic. I ended up pointing out that it was something I couldn't stop listening to, which is what prompted him to probably listen to it...and I ended up getting him hooked. He didn't deny it, making me feel even better.

Taking a quick sweep of our group, and the people surrounding us, I happened to notice something as I came out of my thoughts of my bwst friend and the new group we'd met. "Hey!" I called out over the music, causing Simon and Amanda to look over at me curiously. "Where's Dahlia?!"

"I don't know!" Amanda answered back, her voice heard easily over the din of the music.

"Bathroom!" Simon answered me, having to repeat himself when I didn't hear him the first time.

I accepted the answer as true, as we all continued to dance to the beat, in between all the other people doing the same, occasionally being shoved by someone going to or coming from the bar, but none of us really minded. After all, we had to do it when we tried to get a spot big enough to fit the four of us on the dance floor. I took note of Dahlia smoothly joining us, just as the song ended and a new one picked up.

_"Lately, I've been, I've been losin' sleep..."_

"You didn't?!" I asked my roommate excitedly, who had a complete shit-eating grin on her face, as she shrugged innocently...which screamed that she was behind this!

"Guilty, and you're welcome!" She told all of us and our happy faces, all of us slowly swaying to the music as it began.

_"But, baby, I've been, I've been prayin' hard_

_Said no more countin' dollars_

_We'll be countin' stars_

_Yeah, we'll be countin' stars..."_

All of us, even Simon, just jumped into it as the beat picked up, dancing like crazy fools, not that any of us cared. We were loosened up, out with new friends, and just completely enjoying ourselves. If were gonna be dancing crazily, tonight was going to be the night, and to one of our mutual favorites songs made it even better!

"Old, but I'm not that old! Young, but I'm not that bold!" Both Simon and I sang happily, at the tops of our voices.

"And I don't think the world is sold. On just doin' what we're told!" Dahlia and Amanda picked up after us, before we all just leapt into the chorus, taking turns dancing in the center of our little group. And when Simon's turn came to jump in the middle (last, of course) we all surrounded him, making him stumble a bit, but leading him to get into it, dancing with all of us at some point, starting with Dahlia, then going to Amanda, and saving me for last.

Dancing with Simon after so long felt indescribably good, and I didn't even notice anything we really did as a group. If I had, I would've noticed that he kept Dahlia and Amanda more at arms' length, but the second he turned to me, he gave me a twirl and pulled me in closer, the both of us laughing happily, relishing in the physical contact, absent from our friendship for so long. And he didn't really let me go, keeping an arm on me as we danced, but it wasn't anything different, just like how he and I usually did when we danced, but it garnered Dahlia and Amanda's attention, because I happened to noticed them both watching us...especially when Dahlia started cheering.

"You go, guys! Work it, Simon!"

The words made me laugh, because Simon wasn't the type to really 'work it.' He danced adequately, but nothing Jace or his sister Isabelle could pull off, commanding an entire roomful of people for their attention. But, he had mine, Amanda's and Dahlia's, and that seemed to be good enough for him. And, I had to admit, as the final chorus droned out and the song wound to a close, he DID get better than the last time I saw him.

All of us seemed to collectively calm down after the song was finished, especially during the few seconds of silence and then a...the only way to describe it could be mysterious intro opened up.

"We're going for drinks, guys!" Amanda informed the two of us, laughing happily as she went off in search of the bar.

"Yeah, this is a more slower song, meant for two...and we're not into each other!" Dahlia replied, with a laugh of her own...though she looked back at us before she left in the throng.

"Shall we?" Simon asked me, laughing himself, and giving me an amicable grin.

I smiled at him in return. "Let's."

We weren't really sure how to take this song, so we just ended up slowly swaying to the tinny beat, as the words started to play.

_"Woke up today in casts of blue_

_And helplessly pretending we'll get better over time_

_Goodbyes will change the world anew_

_Always the same still under you..."_

I hand't noticed, but Simon and I drifted closer together, his arms around my waist, his back to my front. It wasn't raunchy or anything, but it was definitely different than what we were usually used to.

And then the chorus started, the beat picking up, but still no less mysterious...or almost seductive.

_"So please don't make more promises to me_

_And please don't take everything from me_

_And I will breathe in every word you mean_

_If you could please_

_Promise them to me..."_

It was odd, as I turned around to face Simon, eyes boring into his behind his glasses, that we'd be dancing to something like this. It was almost our entire friendship in song form, almost literally. Except that there were parts of it that were about Jace, but most of it was about me and him. I t was creepy, how such a song like...well, like this could be about someone...or people, would be the case, like us. And who the heck suggested a song like this, even? Hell, who listens to music like this?

I couldn't even go off on a rambling thought process like I usually did and zone out like I normally did. It was like the song demanded my full attention, and Simon's eye never left me...or mine, because I wasn't zoning out. I was focusing on him, this song, our friendship, both past and present. What the heck was going on with me? Why was I thinking so much...about him?

Our arms were around each other, but I could barely feel it. All I could really, see, feel, was Simon's gaze boring into mine as we danced, even slow danced, because it wasn't like we were grinding on each other like some of the people I managed to barely see out of the corner of my eye. By the third cycke of the chorus, which was noticeably softer and almost quieter than the others, I was mouthing along with it, and Simon was singing along with it, too. We couldn't stop staring at each other, it was like the world was going away.

What. The Hell. Was. This?!

No words, no singing, Just music. Music that was almost hypnotic. Because it was like i was in a fucking trance.

Maybe Simon was in the same mood I was in, or something, because he never looked away from me once.

And then something I never expected, or even remotely considered, ended up happening.

Simon leaned in and kissed me.


End file.
